Time is Running Out for 50,000 Prisoners’ Children this Christmas

LANSDOWNE, Va., Dec. 15, 2009—Some of the youngest and most overlooked victims this Christmas may be the children with a parent behind bars.  Even though these children have done nothing wrong, they are frequently plagued with shame(1), institutional stigma(1), poverty(2) and family instability(3).  And, many of them may awake without a gift from mom or dad on Christmas morning.  

Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program is the only nationwide effort that reaches out exclusively to children whose fathers or mothers are behind bars.  Some 50,000 children of inmates are still in need of an Angel Tree sponsor this year and time is running out.

"When Christians care for the children of prisoners, I think it's a remarkable witness to the love of Christ," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship.  "Nothing can replace the love of a mother or father in the life of a child, which is why Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree shows these children that their mom or dad - even though in prison - still loves them and is thinking about them at this special time of year."

How You Can Help Local Children This Christmas:

• For $35.20 a child can receive a personal message from his/her incarcerated parent, a Christmas gift, and an age appropriate children's book that presents the love Jesus Christ has for him or her.
• Visit AngelTree.org or call 1-800-55-ANGEL (26435) to find out about providing a Christmas gift for a child in your area.  DEADLINE: DEC. 24.

Interview Opportunities:

• Mark Earley, Prison Fellowship president and former Virginia attorney general
• Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship vice president whose children received Angel Tree gifts while he was in prison for racketeering charges
• Download Angel Tree sound bites from Prison Fellowship Founder and Chairman Chuck Colson

Why Should You Care?

By every measure, the 1.7 million(4) children in the U.S. have a father or mother behind prison bars are among the most severely at-risk children and teens in America.  Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree reaches out to prisoners' children to help bring reconciliation and hope to families split by incarceration.  It also offers a way for these innocent children to cope with the anger, hurt and disappointment they may be experiencing.

"By offering them a Christmas gift on behalf of their incarcerated parent, you can help a child feel loved and strengthen the bond with their mom or dad, undoubtedly the most important relationship for a child," said Earley.
 
Since Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree's inception in 1982, more than 7.5 million children of prisoners have received some 16 million Christmas gifts through Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree.  Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree doesn't end with Christmas.  That first Christmas connection can be the beginning of a rewarding, ongoing relationship with these children and their families.  As ministry to these families continues throughout the year, lives are often transformed and families are reconciled.


(1) Vulnerability of Children of Incarcerated Addict Mothers: Implications for Preventive Intervention, Children and Youth Services Review, 2005

(2) Criminology and Public Policy, Disentangling the risks: Parent criminal justice involvement and children's exposure to family risks, 5 (4), 677-702, Phillips, S. D., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G.P., Costello, E. J., & Angold, A., 2006

(3) Parental Incarceration in Fragile Families: Summary of Three Year Findings, an unpublished report to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2007

(4) Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ222984. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, Glaze, Lauren E. and Laura M. Maruschak, 2008

 

 

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QUOTES

 

Mark Earley, Prison Fellowship president and former Virginia attorney general

• "When Christians care for the children of prisoners, I think it's a remarkable witness to the love of Christ."
• "Nothing can replace the love of a mother or father in the life of a child which is why Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree shows these children that their mom or dad - even though in prison - still loves them and is thinking about them at this special time of year."
• "By offering them a Christmas gift on behalf of their incarcerated parent, you can help a child feel loved and strengthen the bond with their mom or dad, undoubtedly the most important relationship for a child."

Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship vice president [on his children receiving Angel Tree gifts while he was in prison]

• "Our eldest daughter had never said a word, but when that lovely couple from the Baptist church left, after praying with them while I was in prison...my wife closed the door, and my eldest daughter, who was five then said, ‘I knew daddy wouldn't forget.'"

 

 

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ABOUT PRISON FELLOWSHIP'S ANGEL TREE

 

Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree is the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to the 1.7 million children in America with a father or mother Behind Bars.  For more information, view the full press kit.

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